Judges 19
A Night in Gibeah, and a Body Cut in Twelve
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The Levite Goes After His Concubine
19:1In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of Ephraim’s hill country. The man took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
19:2His concubine became angry with him and went away from him to her father’s house, to Bethlehem in Judah. She remained there four months.
19:3Her husband arose and went after her to speak to her heart, reconcile her to himself, and bring her back to him, with his servant and a pair of pack animals. He went to her father’s house. The young woman’s father saw him and came to meet him.
19:4His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, brought him in, and he stayed with him for three days. They ate, drank, and slept there.
19:5On the fourth day they rose early in the morning, and he arose to leave. The young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Strengthen your heart with a piece of bread, and afterward go.”
19:6They sat down, and the two ate and drank together. The young woman’s father said to the man, “Begin by staying the night, and let your heart be glad.”
19:7The man arose to leave, but his father-in-law pressed him, and he lodged there again.
19:8On the fifth day he rose early in the morning to leave. The young woman’s father said, “Strengthen your heart with bread and encamp until the day declines.” The two ate and drank.
19:9The man arose to leave, with his concubine and servant. His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said to him, “Look, the day has declined toward evening. Lodge here today as well, and let your heart be glad. Tomorrow you can rise early for your journey and go to your dwelling.”
The Road to Gibeah
19:10The man was unwilling to lodge. He arose and left, and they came opposite Jebus—that is, Jerusalem—with a pair of saddled pack animals and his concubine.
19:11They were still near Jebus, and the day had greatly declined. The servant said to his master, “Please come, let us turn aside into this Jebusite city and lodge in it.”
19:12His master said to him, “I will certainly not turn aside into a foreigner’s city that does not belong to the sons of Israel. We will pass on to Gibeah.”
19:13He said to his servant, “Come, let us enter one of the places and lodge in Gibeah or Ramah.”
19:14They passed on and went their way, for the sun set near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin.
19:15They turned aside there to enter and lodge in Gibeah. They entered and sat in the city square, but no one took them into a house to lodge.
The Old Man Takes Them In
19:16Look, an old man came in from his work in the field that evening. The man was from Ephraim’s hill country and was sojourning in Gibeah; the people of the place were sons of Benjamin.
19:17He looked up and saw the traveler in the city square. The old man said, “Where are you going, and where do you come from?”
19:18He said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote parts of Ephraim’s hill country. I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going back to my house. No one takes me into a house.
19:19We have straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me, your maidservant, and the young man, your servants. We lack nothing.”
19:20The old man said, “Peace to you. Let all your needs fall upon me; only do not lodge in the square.”
19:21He brought him into his house and set fodder before his pack animals. They washed their feet, ate, and drank.
The Outrage at Gibeah
19:22While their hearts were glad, the city’s men, sons of lawless men, surrounded the house and struck the door. They said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who entered your house, so that we may know him.”
19:23The master of the house went out to them and said, “Certainly not, brothers; please do not act wickedly. Since this man has entered my house, do not commit this folly.
19:24Look, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. I will bring them out; violate them and do to them what is good in your eyes. But do not do this deed of folly to this man.”
19:25The men were unwilling to listen to him. The man seized his concubine and brought her outside to them. They raped her and mocked her all night until morning, and let her go as dawn rose.
19:26The woman came toward morning and fell by the gateway entrance of the man’s house where her master was, until day broke.
19:27Her master arose in the morning, opened the house’s doors, and went out to go on his way. Look, the woman, his concubine, lay fallen by the door, her hands upon the threshold.
19:28He said to her, “Get up, and let us go.” She did not answer him, for she had died. He lifted her onto the pack animal, and the man arose and went to his place.
The Body Sent Through Israel
19:29He entered his house, took the knife, seized his concubine, and cut her according to her bones into twelve portions. He sent them to all Israel’s tribes.
19:30Everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has happened or been seen since the day the sons of Israel came up from Egypt until this day.” He commanded the men he sent, saying, “Say this to every man of Israel: ‘Has anything like this happened since the day the sons of Israel came up from Egypt until this day? Take counsel about her among yourselves and speak.’”
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V2 · working draft awaiting specialist review.